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Nightingale research case – a citizen science project on the natural and cultural history of nightingales

Nightingales in Berlin

Berlin, in spring, becomes the capital city for nightingales. Thousands of nightingales (Luscinia megarhynchos) arrive in Berlin and in gardens, parks, along railway lines and even on busy street corners. From Grunewald to Pankow, these songsters’ melodic whistling and gurgling song can be heard, elating the attentive Berlin listeners. Songs, poems, pictures and stories show the fascination and love that people have for the nightingales. But how much do scientists actually know about these little migrant birds?

Citizen Science

A group of scientists at the MfN will be calling on the help of the Berlin public to become citizen scientists and record the nightingales’ songs with their smart phones using the Naturblick app (developed by the MfN). These snippets of song will then be downloaded onto the Nightingale website map (Berlin 2018, Germany wide 2019) for all to hear and analyse. The recordings and other information collected by the citizen scientists will be used to reveal understanding on the private lives of these little songsters.

Events

Various events are planned to take place throughout the year to engage with the citizen scientists and explore the cultural perspective of the nightingale. More information on events focusing on the role of the nightingale in art and science are to be found on the event page of the museum. We also invite everybody to join our Facebook-Group or follow us on Twitter.